Microsoft Dynamics CRM users beware: Not supported on Windows 10

While Windows 10 upgrades are available for business users, those using Dynamics CRM should exercise caution…

Upgrading an operating system is fraught with uncertainty that not all applications will be supported on the new platform. Generally, concern is reserved for older applications or those from obscure vendors. However, it seems that Microsoft’s own Dynamics CRM solution isn’t yet supported on Windows 10.

This has emerged in posts on Microsoft Dynamics community messageboards, where users who have upgraded to Windows 10 are discovering to their dismay that Dynamics CRM won’t install. After an upgrade to Windows 10, one wrote, “Everything is fine and works great, but for the Outlook client for CRM, which won’t even install. During the ‘Preparing…’ phase, almost immediately a dialog box appears stating that ‘Microsoft Dynamics CRM has stopped working.’”

Another noted, “I did an upgrade installation over Windows 8.1 and it worked for nearly a week. This morning, the CRM client began crashing Outlook 2013. Re-installation would not complete on Windows 10.”

Wayne Walton, a software architect at Hitachi Solutions America, had this to say: “Dynamics CRM 2011 won’t ever be supported on Windows 10, as far as I know. You’ll need to roll back to Windows 8.1 or plan to update to a newer version of CRM once support for Windows 10 is patched to CRM 2013 and 2015 in the next couple months.”

Microsoft support escalation engineer Aaron Richards bottom lined it: “Dynamics CRM 2011 will not be supported with Windows 10 at this time.” However, he did not respond to Walton’s contention that Dynamics 2011 ‘won’t ever’ be supported.

Technology commentator Ben Kepes said one of the biggest benefits that platform vendors can offer is the promise that all of their technology works together. “In its haste to get out what is admittedly a pretty awesome operating system, Microsoft has dropped the ball on this one. Its CRM competitors will be making great use of this slip to bemoan Dynamics’ ‘cloud readiness’.”

Another thread on the Dynamics CRM messageboard indicates that compatibility for Dynamics 2013 and 2015 may be introduced in due course, with the latter iteration awaiting ‘Update 0.02’. However, that update isn’t yet available and there is no firm date for its release.

Over the course of a week, Microsoft has been unable to answer these questions, submitted by iStart:

What is the status of compatibility with Win 10 and Dynamics CRM?

Will CRM 2011 ever be supported on Win 10? When will [Dynamics CRM] 2013 and 2015 be compatible with the new OS?

Are there compatibility issues with other Microsoft products, especially in the Dynamics range?

Customers seem surprised by this and there is little information available online re: compatibility issues with Win 10 and Dynamics CRM. Was Microsoft aware of the issue ahead of customers installing their upgrade and finding it is incompatible?

What measures did MS take to advise Dynamics CRM customers about compatibility problems?

Have any NZ customers experienced problems with Dynamics CRM after upgrading to Win 10?

However, in an emailed response to queries from iStart, Warren Fernandez, CRM and ERP product manager provided some insight. “Windows 10 OS is compatible with CRM 2015 Online with service update 1. Edge browser is compatible with CRM 2015 Online with service update 1.1. Microsoft has NOT released Service update 1 for CRM 2015 on-premise, hence at this point Windows 10 and Edge browser isn’t compatible with Dynamics CRM 2015 on-premise.”

In addition to its operating system and Office productivity software product lines, Microsoft provides a wide range of enterprise software under its Dynamics brand. Whether or not there are other compatibility issues with its new operating system isn’t clear, but questions (and eyebrows) are sure to be raised.

Questions or comments...

Thanks for the comment mike. the initial alert to capacity compatibility problems came from a Microsoft dynamics accomplice, we observed it up and observed it hard to envision whether or no longer there has been a compatibility problem. ms itself had a tough time answering the query, even as the community message boards did imply visable problems.

A Microsoft’s spokesperson’s response to iStart’s queries is the following: “We want to clarify the situation. Dynamics CRM and Dynamics CRM Online clients both work on IE11 on Windows 10 – for versions 2011, 2013 and 2015 – today. There is an issue with access to Dynamics CRM 2011 through the Outlook client, which is flagged in the Support blog (here), and we are working to resolve this issue. Customers today can use and access CRM 2011 on Windows 10 using the CRM client on IE11.”
The spokesperson said, “We proactively communicated with our communities (MVP, CRM customers, Field Awareness) in July, including notification through the Support blog in the usual manner as soon as we became aware of this issue. Our usual process for communicating with customers on any product issues is through our product and support blogs.”

Donovan, as we discussed before you went to print, you should not rely on the odd message board or blog as being a true position of fact. We have not experienced any problems with Windows 10 and CRM. This is not an accurate picture of these solutions; what in our view should be heralded as a very high quality product release.

Thanks James. As you will appreciate, I respected your request not to use our interview and your comments in this story. Furthermore, I tried repeatedly to get a response from Microsoft to clarify, one way or another, if there are compatibility issues with Dynamics CRM and Windows 10.

The following was shared with us this morning:

CRM for Outlook
There is a known issue with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 for Outlook on Windows 10 with IE 11 that was exposed very late in the Windows 10 release cycle, preventing CRM for Outlook client to install on Windows 10 machines. This is actively being addressed and a fix will be available soon for CRM 2011 and CRM 2013 for Outlook

Microsoft has advised in a notice to partners that the status will be updated on the Microsoft’s blog post here.

Err..Dynamics CRM works fine on Windows 10, as does the Outlook component.

What they’re talking about here is one five year old component for a previous version of Dynamics CRM. Anyone using old version software should definitely have a test plan prior to upgrading their operating system anyway.

And Edge browser…Eh, Windows 10 still has Internet Explorer as well as any other browser you wish to download and use.

Thanks for the comment Mike. The initial alert to potential compatibility problems came from a Microsoft Dynamics partner, we followed it up and found it difficult to ascertain whether or not there was a compatibility issue. MS itself had a hard time answering the question, while the community messageboards did indicate possible issues.

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